How To Change your mind by Michael Pollan

Written by: Tushar Sharma

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These are my rough notes while reading this book

LSD is a molecule. It was synthesized by Hoffman in 1936 while he was working at Sandoz Laboratories in Switzerland.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound produced by certain species of mushrooms, commonly referred to as "magic mushrooms. It has a long history of use in indigenous rituals, particularly by the Mazatec people of Mexico, where it played a central role in spiritual and healing ceremonies. Psilocybin is converted in the body to psilocin, which is responsible for its psychoactive effects.

Acid trip is psychedelic experience when consuming LSD. Mushroop trip is when you consume psilocybin. Both experiences often include altered perception of time, sensory enhancement, and profound changes in thought patterns.

"It's not the young who need to have an experience of the numinous, but those approaching the second half of life to negotiate its challenges." — Carl Jung

Clinical studies suggest that psilocybin can alleviate anxiety and depression in people with terminal cancer, helping them face death with reduced fear.

Similarly, MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy) has shown promise in treating PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) in clinical trials.

Marijuana has been researched for medical benefits, including pain relief and reduction of chemotherapy-induced nausea, but it does not share the same psychedelic properties as LSD or psilocybin.

LSD is a schedule 1 substance that means the US goverment consider its' a drug of abuse with no accepted medical use and its illegal to sell and possess.

Timothy Leary, a psychologist and professor at Harvard, became a prominent advocate for the use of psychedelics after conducting experiments with psilocybin in the 1960s.

Leary's controversial methods and public advocacy led to his dismissal from Harvard and fueled a cultural backlash against psychedelics, contributing to their criminalization.

Who's a philosophical materialist? They believe matter is the fundamental substance of the universe and that everything, including consciousness, can be explained by physical laws without invoking divine or spiritual explanations.

LSD or psilocybin are not addictive. What about marijuana? Marijuana can lead to dependence in some individuals but is not considered as addictive as substances like cocaine or opioids. And cocaine is definately addictive. However people predisposition to mental illness should not consume it.

Substance	Classification	Source	Effects	Risks	Medical Use	Legality	Duration of Effects	Method of Use	Research Focus
Cocaine	Stimulant	Coca plant	Energy, euphoria, alertness	Highly addictive, heart issues	Local anesthetic	Illegal in most countries	~30 min to 1 hour	Snorted, smoked, injected	Not under active research
LSD	Psychedelic	Synthetic (from ergot)	Hallucinations, altered perception	Non-addictive, bad trips	Under research for mental health	Schedule I substance	8-12 hours	Orally (blotter paper)	Depression, anxiety, PTSD
Psilocybin	Psychedelic	Mushrooms	Hallucinations, emotional insights	Non-addictive, anxiety risks	Under research for mental health	Decriminalized in some areas	4-6 hours	Orally (mushrooms, tea)	Depression, end-of-life care
Opioids	Narcotics (Painkillers)	Opium poppy or synthetic	Pain relief, euphoria	Highly addictive, overdose risk	Pain management	Legal for medical use	4-6 hours	Oral, injected, transdermal	Pain management, palliative care
Marijuana	Psychoactive (Cannabinoid)	Cannabis plant	Euphoria, relaxation (THC)	Dependency in some users	Pain, nausea, anxiety relief	Legal in some regions	2-4 hours	Smoked, orally (edibles)	Epilepsy, anxiety, chronic pain

Acid trip can be good or bad. Hofmann who discovered LSD had a bad acid trip. He had to use bicycle to get home after consuming the drug since use of vehicles were restricted during wartime. LSD devoteees celebrate it as bicycle day. Do we know why someone would likely have a good or a bad acid trip?

LSD mimics serotonin and binds to serotonin receptor in brain. Serotonin maintians regular brain function, while LSD causes an exaggeration or altered activation of the same pathway.

Another interesting differnece between alchol and LSD is that the former produces hangover where as the latter gives a afterglow. Afterglow is a state of well-being, clarity, and connectedness that lingers after the psychedellics effects have worn off. One of the reason for the afterglow is that LSD promotes growth of new neural connections.

UDV is a religious sect that uses halluciongenic tea called ayahuasca. It contains DMT, a schedule 1 substance yet is allowed import into USA. Native Americans use peyote for their ceremonies.

MDMA enhances empathy, trust and emotional openness. It is often referred to as an empathogen because it stimulates feelings of closeness and connection between people. Wny not just use it? MDMA stimulates the release of large amounts of serotonin, depleting the brain's reserves. Over time, frequent or high-dose use can cause oxidative stress, which may damage or destroy serotonin axons (the projections of neurons that release serotonin). Also long term use, can cause depression and anxiety. LSD primarily acts as a psychedelic, whereas MDMA functions as an empathogen/stimulant. So LSD doesn't deplete serotonin or pose a significant risk of neurotoxicity.

Jesse setup a nonprofit called Council on Spiritual Practices (CSP) which aims at promoting entheogens. csp.org offers great psychedelic research.

Good Friday Experiment by Walter Pahnke, psychiatrist under Timothy Leary. It's a double blind experiment with twent diving students. One group received psilocybin and other placebo. Folks with psilocybin had classical mystical experience.